Welcome to the Department of European and Comparative Law

The Department of European and Comparative Law has a fine and long tradition of teaching and research into all areas of European Union Law. Established in 1993, it celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018. The Department runs a full range of courses in European Law at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Its LL.M. programme (the Master of Laws in European and Comparative Law) is a respected academic qualification recognised throughout the world that has trained judges, practising lawyers and civil servants in Europe and beyond. The Department also welcomes Ph.D. students. Besides the core courses at the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) level, the Department also offers a number of optional study-units at undergraduate level that are an excellent introduction to EU Law. All our teaching is conducted in the English language making our course units suitable for foreign students and attracting a growing number of ERASMUS students every year.

The Department of European and Comparative Law has an active research and publications programme. Its programmes are annually validated by rotating External Examiners from prestigious Universities in Europe including the Universities of Oxford, London, Dublin, Durham, Glasgow and Edinburgh. They have included Professor Stephen Weatherill, Professor Francis Snyder, Professor Jo Shaw and Professor Rosamarie Greaves among others.

Our members of staff are mainly full-time University academics, but the Department enjoys the services of a good number of visiting lecturers from legal practice, European institutions and government service. In addition to teaching, our academics regularly publish research works in Malta and abroad and are called upon as experts in the preparation of public policy including by the European Commission. Many members of our staff have an international reputation in their field of specialisation, playing a key role in public events while also being actively engaged in public lecturing, public service and seminars on EU-related issues. The Department’s academics work closely with the Institute for European Studies and are involved in a number of European, national and international research projects. Our members of staff are active participants of the EU’s Jean Monnet programme and two academics are Jean Monnet professors. The Department has excellent overseas links and can easily place students in key Universities in the UK and elsewhere in Europe as well as provide guidance on work and research in law-related fields across the EU.’